From Ukraine to the Middle East: How drones and AI are rewriting the rules of modern warfare

Ukraine’s recent tensions with the United States highlight the importance of technology in contemporary warfare.

The American disruption of Starshield , the military version of Starlink, significantly increased Ukraine’s vulnerability to Russian attacks.

But what media coverage of these events misses, with its focus on the U.S., is that technology has made it easier for smaller states and sub-states to resist and challenge dominant powers.

From Ukraine to the Sahel and the Middle East, smaller states and sub-states are using technology to maximize their capabilities against larger nations.

Read more: Is the US limiting Starlink in Ukraine? The consequences could be catastrophic Military affairs ‘revolution’ The post-Second World War environment has seen a widespread dissemination of new military technologies across the globe .

Rockets, missiles, nuclear weapons and other technologies have led countries to adapt their armed forces in new and unexpected ways.

The culmination of these changes is what’s been described as a revolution in military affairs .

Soviet Union theorists writing in the 1970s argued that emerging technologies, particularly in precision weapons and how they were being employed, fundamentally altered warfare.

From the U.S. perspective, the 1991 Gulf War was an example of this theory in practice.

In particular, precision-guided munitions that helped defeat the Iraqi army highlighted this shift.

The role these weapons played in beating an enemy, in fact, still inspires American military efforts to this day .

The problem with this military focus is that it reinforces a view that fighting a great power is pointless because they have superior weapons.

What these analyses forget, however, is that warfare is essentially a human activity .

Technology can enhance and facilitate conflict, and it can temporarily upset the balance of power between states.